ADJ Hydro Series shines on Rebirth outdoors
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Six of the festival’s seven dance arenas were enclosed by large circus-style tents, while the final performance stage was outdoors and open to the elements. For this, ADJ’s IP65-rated Hydro Series moving heads and static LED-powered wash fixtures were utilised, ensuring that the lighting rig would be unaffected by any adverse weather, including the storm that hit the festival site during buildup.
With the tagline of ‘Reunite Again’, the 2022 Rebirth Festival was one of the first largescale outdoor dance events to take place in the Netherlands following two years of pandemic-induced restrictions. It also represented a reunion between the organisers and production company Spectrum AV, which worked on the festival in its early years.
“The biggest stages at these festivals are often driven by the riders of headline artists, which means we would have to rent in different fixtures for each show,” explains Spectrum AV’s general manager, Lex Willems. “For these mid-level stages - which are still pretty big - our clients are happy to use the equipment we have in stock, which are all ADJ fixtures. This allows us to maximize our return on the investments we have made and to use equipment that we know we can rely on. This is the sweet spot for our business and how we plan to grow. We have no desire to take on the bigger stages, we just want to do more and more of these mid-size stages and events.”
For the 2022 Rebirth Festival, Spectrum AV provided the lighting and audio production for the fourth and fifth stages. Significant to winning the contract was the company’s extensive stock of ADJ IP65-rated lighting fixtures, as the fourth stage was located outdoors with a set design that provided only minimal cover for the DJ booth and absolutely no protection from adverse weather conditions for the lighting rig.
“As well as our previous relationship and the recommendation from their other supplier, one of the main reasons the client chose us for this event was our stock of IP65-rated Hydro Series fixtures,” confirms Lex. “For this size of stage, other production companies use regular fixtures with rain covers, so the client was attracted to the prospect of moving heads that could be used outdoors without unsightly covers or inflatable plastic domes.”
The set design for the stage was themed around a pirate ship, with masts supporting giant sails emblazoned with skull and crossbones also providing the rigging for the stage’s lighting fixtures.
Twelve of ADJ’s large format IP65-rated Hydro Beam X2 moving head fixtures were positioned in groups of four, spread across the top of the three biggest sails. One of these was positioned behind the DJ position, with the other two flanking it at jaunty angles. Powered by a highly efficient 370W LL Osram Sirius HRI discharge lamp focused through precision-engineered optics that produce a razor sharp 3-degree beam, the Hydro Beam X2 creates piercing aerial effects designed specifically for outdoor stages.
“I think the X2 is a revolutionary fixture,” enthuses Lex. “It was the first IP65-rated moving head beam to hit the market at a price point accessible to small-to-medium-sized production companies. It is a real powerhouse when it comes to output, so it was ideal for use on this large outdoor stage.
The lighting design for the stage also utilised 12 of ADJ’s Hydro Wash X19 LED-powered moving head wash fixtures. Pairs were mounted to each of the two highest ‘masts’ of the pirate ship, while the remaining eight fixtures were spread across the stage itself: four on the main level and two on each of the risers positioned to the sides of the stage.
In addition to the moving heads, Spectrum AV also supplied ADJ static LED-powered wash fixtures to light the stage set itself. A total of 18 32 HEX Panel IP fixtures were used to illuminate the pirate sails and other decorative elements, saturating them in vibrant colours to complement the dancing beams of the moving heads.
ADJ’s 7P HEX IP LED par fixtures were also utilised, with eight of the fixtures mounted across the curved stage roof. These framed the DJ position with ambient wash lighting, while three more of the units were used to illuminate pirate flags at the very top of the set. Finally, a pair of ADJ’s Encore FR150Z LED-powered Fresnel fixtures were used to highlight the performers on stage.
